Announcing the 2012 North Peninsula Regional Impact Grant Recipient

In 2011, the Federation’s Board implemented a new approach to grantmaking as part of our strategic plan. Modeled on venture philanthropy, the Impact Grants Initiative (IGI) invites deep involvement by donors and grantees in the grant making process, while providing financial resources to organizations that can achieve significant impact and bring about positive change in an area of considerable challenge to the region through a robust, multi-year grant.

2012 North Peninsula Regional Impact Grant

For its 2012 grant round, the North Peninsula Regional Impact Grant Committee focused on programs working to engage families with young children (ages 0-12) and teens in Jewish life. After reviewing ten original proposals in these areas, the committee made a grant to the PJCC and Kevah to support their joint project, "Do Justice: Fight Hunger."

Peninsula Jewish Community Center (PJCC) and Kevah Do Justice: Fighting Hunger

This project will combine the strengths of the PJCC and Kevah, augmented by family experiences provided by Wilderness Torah and Urban Adamah, to provide an attractive, highly visible model program that demonstrably builds Jewish knowledge, relationships, engagement and leadership.

Methods will include:  1) Jewish education and service learning for parents and children, integrated with hands-on organic gardening, social action to feed the hungry, and memorable, hands-on “Family Day Away” Jewish learning experiences; 2) Continuing Kevah learning groups that enable parents to take their initial experience to a deeper level via further engagement in joint Jewish study, discussion and relationship-building; and 3) Jewish leadership training.

Over three years, this project aims to reach 216 participants on a deep level, 414 participants with moderate engagement, and an additional 850 people in low-engagement, low-touch ways. This is a joint project of the PJCC and Kevah, a relatively new nonprofit that supports a pluralistic network of dozens of Jewish text study groups in the Bay Area and beyond.  The grant will formally be made to PJCC.